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Maxine Waters seeks details on Kraken Fed account approval

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Maxine Waters seeks details on Kraken Fed account approval

US Representative Maxine Waters has asked the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to explain its decision to approve Kraken Financial’s limited-purpose master account. 

Summary

  • Maxine Waters asked the Kansas City Fed to explain Kraken Financial’s master account approval terms.
  • Waters asked which Federal Reserve services Kraken can access and what restrictions apply to usage.
  • Kraken’s approval renews debate over crypto firms seeking direct access to core US payment rails.

Her request puts fresh attention on how crypto-linked firms may gain access to the US payment system and what safeguards apply when the Federal Reserve reviews those applications.

Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid on Thursday. She asked him to respond by April 10 with details on what Kraken’s approval allows in practice and which Federal Reserve services the company can use.

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She also asked what conditions or limits apply to the account. Her letter requested information on anti-money laundering checks, consumer protection reviews, and the legal basis behind the approval process.

Kraken Financial received a limited-purpose master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City earlier this month. The move drew attention because crypto-linked firms have sought direct Federal Reserve access for years.

The account could give Kraken access to Fedwire, the Federal Reserve’s main payment network. That system allows institutions to move funds on the same core rails used by banks and credit unions across the United States.

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Waters said the public notice left important questions unanswered. In her letter, she wrote that the Kansas City Fed’s announcement “does not disclose specific information” about Kraken’s access to Federal Reserve financial services because of “the confidentiality of business information provided by applicants.”

Waters said direct access to the Federal Reserve’s payment system raises policy, regulatory, and consumer protection questions. She argued that the Federal Reserve must show that any approval follows the law and applies the same standards to all applicants.

She wrote that “answers to these questions are critical” to ensure the approval process works “with impartiality” and supports “a safe and efficient payment system.” Waters also said new activity in digital assets, tokenization, payments, and artificial intelligence is moving faster than many existing laws.

Crypto firms continue push for master accounts

Kraken is not the only crypto-linked company seeking this type of access. Custodia Bank, Anchorage Digital Bank, and Ripple’s Standard Custody & Trust Company have also pursued Federal Reserve master accounts.

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Waters has often taken a cautious position on crypto policy. Advocacy group Stand With Crypto lists her as “strongly against crypto,” citing past statements and votes against crypto legislation. Her latest letter now places the focus on transparency in how the Federal Reserve handles crypto-related account approvals.

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Lumentum (LITE) Stock Plunges 11%, Then Rebounds on NVIDIA Partnership Announcement

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LITE Stock Card

Key Highlights

  • Shares closed down 11.37% at $688.80 Thursday, then climbed 1.50% to $699.10 after hours.
  • Company disclosed plans for a 240,000-square-foot Greensboro, NC production site purchased from Qorvo, with operations expected by mid-2028.
  • NVIDIA named as a confirmed customer through existing strategic supply agreements linked to the facility.
  • Previous quarter showed Lumentum exceeding EPS forecasts ($1.67 actual vs. $1.41 projected) while revenue jumped 65.5% annually to $665.5M.
  • Wall Street price targets vary significantly — BNP Paribas projects $1,040 while the average consensus hovers at $575.06; company insiders offloaded approximately $38.9M in shares recently.

Shares of Lumentum Holdings (LITE) experienced significant volatility Thursday, plummeting 11.37% before settling at $688.80. Trading volume reached approximately 6.18 million shares — representing a 4% increase over typical daily activity.


LITE Stock Card
Lumentum Holdings Inc., LITE

However, the semiconductor stock staged a comeback during extended trading hours. Shares climbed 1.50% to $699.10 after the company disclosed details about a significant domestic manufacturing investment.

Lumentum revealed its purchase of a 240,000-square-foot production campus in Greensboro, North Carolina, from fellow semiconductor company Qorvo. The facility will focus on manufacturing indium phosphide optical components, including continuous wave lasers and ultra-high-power laser systems utilizing 6-inch InP wafers.

Operations are scheduled to reach full capacity around mid-2028. Chief Executive Michael Hurlston noted that clients are “constructing the technological backbone that will shape the future generation of computing.”

NVIDIA received confirmation as a client through existing strategic partnership agreements connected to this manufacturing expansion. Debora Shoquist, NVIDIA’s EVP of Operations, stated the development “reinforces supply chain reliability and enables us to address increasing infrastructure requirements with assurance.”

The after-hours recovery indicates investors interpreted Thursday’s selloff as an attractive entry point rather than evidence of underlying business deterioration.

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Impressive Financial Performance and Upgraded Outlook

Lumentum’s latest quarterly earnings provided substantial reasons for investor confidence. The firm reported earnings per share of $1.67, surpassing Wall Street’s $1.41 consensus by $0.26.

Total revenue reached $665.5 million — representing a 65.5% increase compared to the same period last year and exceeding analyst expectations of $646.74 million. Management issued Q3 2026 EPS guidance ranging from $2.15 to $2.35.

Despite this positive momentum, shares have retreated from their 52-week peak of $808.80. The stock nevertheless trades 84% higher than its 52-week bottom of $45.66, with an extraordinary 941.90% gain over the trailing twelve months.

Current pricing remains substantially above key technical indicators — the 50-day moving average sits at $567.66 while the 200-day moving average rests at $363.11, both considerably beneath today’s levels.

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Wall Street Remains Divided

Analyst perspectives vary considerably. BNP Paribas maintains a bullish $1,040 price objective, suggesting roughly 47% appreciation potential from present valuations.

Morgan Stanley kept its Equal-Weight stance while increasing its target from $520 to $595. Mizuho holds an “outperform” recommendation with a $645 price goal.

The aggregated view from 19 Wall Street analysts indicates a “Moderate Buy” rating with a mean price target of $575.06 — presently trading below the stock’s current market value.

Regarding insider activity, company executives have disposed of approximately 65,775 shares valued at roughly $38.9 million during the previous 90-day period. Institutional investors control about 94% of outstanding shares.

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LITE’s relative strength index registered 52.34 entering Friday’s session, with the company’s total market capitalization standing near $49.18 billion.

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Australia Court Fines Binance $6.9 Million over Client Onboarding Failures

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Australia Court Fines Binance $6.9 Million over Client Onboarding Failures

An Australian court ordered Binance Australia Derivatives to pay $6.9 million after misclassifying retail clients and exposing them to high-risk crypto products.

The Federal Court of Australia has ordered Oztures Trading Pty Ltd, trading as Binance Australia Derivatives, to pay a 10 million Australian dollar ($6.9 million) penalty after the company admitted to misclassifying more than 85% of its Australian client base and exposing retail investors to high-risk crypto derivatives without required protections.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said the affected group included 524 retail investors who were wrongly treated as wholesale clients between July 2022 and April 2023. Those clients later incurred $6.3 million in trading losses and paid $2.6 million in fees.

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Binance also admitted in a statement of agreed facts to multiple compliance failures, including not providing product disclosure statements to retail clients, not making a target market determination and not maintaining a compliant internal dispute resolution system.

The penalty comes on top of the around $9 million in compensation that Binance’s local derivatives unit was ordered to pay to affected clients in November 2023.

Court order against Binance Australia Derivatives. Source: The Federal Court of Australia

Binance did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment.

Related: White House clears review of proposal to allow crypto in 401(k) retirement plans

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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